We have three tasks in Brighton. To puncture negativism about Britain and our record. To show how we can build a stronger, fairer Britain amidst the gales of global change and risk epitomised by the leadership of Gordon Brown. We must expose the sham of the Tory offer.Future is the most important word in politics. It is especially important in the midst of the popular view that politics is out of sync with real life. Labour's historic role is to wrench Britain out of inertia.We need to stand up for a strategic role for government as a force for empowerment and for controlling shared risks. We need to stand up for the power of education as a force of social mobility. We need to stand up for a diverse Britain founded on rights and responsibilities. We need to stand up for internationalism and sharing power in Europe. And we need to turn threats into opportunities – climate change is a prime example.There are no prizes for safety first policies at a time of great change. As the economic crisis has led the Tories to pivot backwards, so we need to use it to think forwards.

The one BIG thing Labour should do to change the face of politics and restore public trust is hold a referendum on proportional representation on the day of the election. The public are absolutely scunnered, as the denizens of Glasgow would say, with both politics and politicians and they want a new way of doing business – where their votes count, where they have a voice, where politics are clean and where politicians are not in thrall to the rich. They want new energies brought into parliament. The expenses scandal was a tipping point and it was instructive that the worst excesses took place where complacent MPs had safe seats, confident that they could weather any storm. There has to be a different kind of relationship between citizens and those in power and that means reforming our democracy.

The crisis in banking is not unconnected with the failures of our political class. We have seen a group of financial oligarchs run the banking system in ways that benefited them and not the public and our democracy rolled over and allowed it to happen. Taxpayers money has been thrown at bankers and they are now rewarding themselves in the same way that contributed to the crisis, with hardly a peep from Labour.

We need a rebalancing within our democracy and a rebalancing between banks, industry and the government. We need to restore our commitment to liberty and we need a better sense of what a decent society looks like. All this will only happen if we get the architecture right. Otherwise we are lost.

The title of this debate suggests that Labour can win by fixing politics. I agree that we need democratic reform. I support electing the Lords, fair votes for the Commons, giving the Commons more powers, and opening up politics through primaries.

However, I don't think that will by itself fix politics. It will help – but we need to clarify our goals as well as improve our methods. Fixing the engine is important, but it's where the car's going that really matters.

To fix politics, we need to show again that politics is the best vehicle for changing society. We need to do fewer things better. Half-meeting lots of goals breeds disillusion. If re-elected, we should be an education government. The Tories are wrong to want to cut education spending. We should spend whatever is necessary to match the best in the world. That would allow us to dream: of getting to 100% literacy, or even of breaking the link between family background and attainment.

The Demos project Open Left is going to explore the necessary reforms. But they could include:

– 2 years parental leave, properly paid

– universal affordable childcare

– more funding for pupils from poor backgrounds

– opening up the supply of education

– exceeding our 50% target in higher education

To achieve this, other spending areas would need to be cut. We will quantify this too.

Never mind the fact that there is no logical connection between the expenses scandal and most of the proposals for political reform. It has opened up an opportunity, and we should take it.

From fixed-term parliaments to beefing up the Commons, this could be the reform moment. The biggest opportunity by far is to start the process of changing the voting system. This could be the game-changing reform. The present system has lost any justification it may once have had. It disenfranchises voters and infantilises politicians. Its only remaining function is to prop up the political system in its ailing form.

So Labour is right to be debating whether a referendum question on voting reform should be asked at the general election. If we really want a genuinely new politics, this is the route to get it. There are difficulties though, not least the fact that the political ground has not been prepared for it and so might just look like a desperate ploy on Labour's part. And what would the referendum question be?

These difficulties are not insurmountable. It is a moment for political risks, and this is the one that offers the most dramatic rewards.